The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, has said the recently procured fighter jets would arrive in the country in the first quarter of 2023.
As he said, the deployment of air power against the terrorists and insurgents has changed the tides of the ongoing operations.
A statement on Thursday by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the Amao stated this when he met with the operational commanders operating in the Northeast and Northwest in Katsina State.
“The deployment of air power against terrorists and insurgents has changed the tides of the ongoing operations in entire northern Nigeria, providing most Nigerians with some respite and confidence in the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” according to the statement.
“Also, the new platforms being expected in the inventory of the NAF in the first quarter of 2023 and beyond would no doubt add impetus to ongoing operations.”
He, however, admonished commanders to remain focused and show no mercy while maintaining the tempo of the operations and to also take extra measures to ensure that civilians are protected.
Gabkwet said the meeting was coming a week after brainstorming with past and present Nigerian Air Force operational commanders in Uyo on the most effective strategies to adopt in the employment of air power against terrorists.
IG redeploys CPs
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered the posting and redeployment of eight Commissioners of Police to state commands and formations across the country for operational and administrative effectiveness.
Baba said the exercise was done in line with the manpower development policy of the force, adding that it would further improve policing services across the country.
The newly posted or redeployed senior officers are: CP Gombe Command, CP Etim Effiom; CP Kano Command, CP Mamman Dauda; CP Bauchi Command, CP Aminu Alhassan; CP CPTU Staff College Jos, CP Babatunde Ishola; CP X-SQUAD FCID Annex Lagos, CP Mamman Sanda; CP FCID Annex Gombe, CP John Babangida; CP Safer Highway FHQ Abuja, CP Akinwale Adeniran; and CP DFA FCID Annex Lagos, CP Abubakar Lawal.
